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Humanity’s Friend 

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APHI1 15, 1949 

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A VISIT TO KATHERINE TlNGLEY 

by John Hubert greusel 


A STUDY OF RAJA YOGA AT 
POINT LOMA 

(Reprint from the SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE, January 6th, 1907) v 


PRICE J5 CENTS 
Published by 

The Woman's Theosophical Propaganda League 
Point Loma, California, U. S* A* 

J 907 












3-33 

£0 8 


Katherine Tingley 

Humanity’s Friend 

ooo 

A VISIT TO KATHERINE TINGLEY 

BY JOHN HUBERT GREUSEL 


OOO 

A STUDY OF RAJA YOGA AT 
POINT LOMA 

(Reprint from the San FRANCISCO CHRONICLE, January 6th, 1907) 













































KATHERINE TINGLEY 

Humanity’s Friend 
_ 


A Glance at some of the Important Activities Introduced 
and Carried Out by KATHERINE TINGLEY, the 
Leader of the UNIVERSAL BROTHERHOOD 
AND THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY to Preserve 
and Extend the Work of H. P. Blavatsky 


T O develop originality within the limits of the work 
to be accomplished is the teaching of Katherine 
Tingley to her students. This brings out the crea¬ 
tive faculty and cultivates the imagination in the highest 
degree, but allows no waste of force nor time by stepping 
outside the duty in hand. The Leader follows her own pre¬ 
cept and has produced many original methods for spreading the 
knowledge of Theosophy, the salvation of humanity, while 
keeping within the broad lines laid down by the Founders of 
the Society. Creation without preservation is useless, and after 




— 4 — 


H. P. Blavatsky left us, her successor, William Q. Judge, 
who saw so clearly the future promise, sustained the work 
amid the opposition which w r as desperately trying to break it 
upon external lines. It was soon clear that more subtile 
means were to be tried. The attempt was then made to 
bury the truths of Theosophy under a garbage heap of fool¬ 
ish practises and “psychic” absurdities or worse, with the 
object of confusing the public mind and turning thoughtful 
people away with disgust from real Divine Theosophy. 
W. Q. Judge saw the danger and commenced to thwart it, 
but it soon fell to Katherine Tingley to drag the Movement 
back from the yawning precipice of destruction. Enemies 
of humanity and their dupes were using the name of Theo¬ 
sophy and enough of its teachings to give their projects a 
plausible appearance, but underneath was rottenness. The 
visible actors may or may not know what they were doing; 
we trust the latter and that they may reap the reward of 
ignorance merely, but Karma is a just law and even ignorance 
cannot escape scot-free when evil follows. 

When Katherine Tingley’s strong and masterly hand took 
the reins of the Theosophical Society upon the death of 
W. Q. Judge in 1896, confusion increased amongst those 
sometime members who were in the opinion of the great ma¬ 
jority of the active workers obscuring the aims of H. P. Bla¬ 
vatsky and actually trying to uproot the foundations she had 
so carefully laid. She desired to establish practical educa¬ 
tional work for humanity, to begin a real Brotherhood con¬ 
sciousness in the world. The misleaders professed to think 


— 5 — 


this impossible for ages and turned to byways of intellectual 
speculation and so-called “ occult * * vagaries, culminating in 
certain cases in dire results, as H. P. Blavatsky had always 
taught. 

But Katherine Tingley came as the regenerator, exactly in 
time to save the situation, and the eternal gratitude of the 
world is due to her for taking up the arduous task which has 
exposed her to every kind of insult, persecution and danger. 
She had seen the awful possibility of Theosophy, the only 
hope of humanity, being whittled away by the obscurantists, 
and her whole energies and abilities were instantly thrown 
into the work. Her students know, and the readers of this 
will perceive by the following record, how far-seeing she was 
and how wisely she has built upon the foundations of 
H. P. Blavatsky’s work an impregnable structure whose 
stones are Compassion, Brotherhood and Trust and whose 
ties are unselfish Service and tireless Vigilance. 

Katherine Tingley* s work is enormous as one can see by 
simply regarding the number of departments she has person¬ 
ally to supervise. It requires the greatest energy and dis¬ 
crimination to be the Editor of the Century Path y and 
Lecturer and Writer on Theosophy, keeping in touch with 
every phase of current thought and all the problems of the 
day. A certain portion of her time is employed in teaching 
her more advanced students the higher aspects of Theosophy 
and in superintending the activities of the rapidly increasing 
number of Raja Yoga Schools. As a practical business 
woman Katherine Tingley is acknowledged by the clearest 


— 6 — 


heads in the various departments ot work to be unexcelled, 
and as an inventor she has had pronounced success. 

But, of course, it is her great organizing faculty that has 
created the admirably smooth working of the Universal 
Brotherhood and Theosophical Society and its har¬ 
monious growth. Even the most determined enemies of the 
Theosophical Movement admit that Katherine Tingley is 
supreme as an organizer. Her students think that this faculty 
comes from her knowledge of the right time and the right 
place to do things, and also from her deep insight into the 
mainsprings of human nature. She knows man and men 
thoroughly and is not to be imposed upon. 

All who are near her know that Katherine Tingley is 
untiring in her work for humanity, that her courage in facing 
desperate odds never fails, and that her personal comfort or 
convenience is absolutely a secondary consideration with her 
when duty calls. 

The principal achievement by means of which she is 
carrying out the dearest wish of H. P. Blavatsky is undoubt¬ 
edly the establishment of that seat of learning, the School of 
Antiquity at Point Loma, California, U. S. A., the head¬ 
quarters also of all the business activities of the Universal 
Brotherhood and Theosophical Society. H. P. Bla¬ 
vatsky made some more or less temporary international cen¬ 
ters in the various localities where she stayed for a few years, 
but the time was not ripe then for the permanent Institution 
since founded by Katherine Tingley. Point Loma Institu¬ 
tion is a fortress against which nothing can prevail. It has 




come to stay, and is the central visible Heart of the throbbing 
life of the Theosophical Movement in all countries. It is 
essentially international like Theosophy itself, the resident 
students and officers being natives of many nations and states. 
A real unity of harmonious living has been built there as a 
demonstration to the world of the potentiality of the Theo- 
sophic Life. 

Outside the work of the general office business of 
so large and widespread an organization as the Univer¬ 
sal Brotherhood and Theosophical Society, many 
problems of industrial and professional life have been 
solved at Point Loma, for the activities there include the 
Arts and Crafts necessary for the spread of the work, all 
increasing as it increases. Mechanical work, housekeeping, 
agricultural and horticultural work, printing and photo-en¬ 
graving— all are carried on so peacefully and are so skil¬ 
fully organized that anyone can see a new light has come into 
the atmosphere of trade and labor. Theosophy is being 
made practical in every line, and is justifying itself indeed. 
Order, which is heaven’s first law, reigns in all departments; 
it is the key to economy. 

The establishment and upholding of this Center, which 
H. P. Blavatsky outlined as the “Western Center” where 
Theosophy would be fully demonstrated, in its present con¬ 
dition (to say nothing of what is rapidly coming) would 
alone be enough to stand for the life-work of a less 
gifted soul. 

Next in importance in Katherine Tingley’s work was the 


— 8 — 


reorganization of the Theosophical Movement in 1898. By 
the nature of its Constitution the Society is protected from 
attacks from within as well as without. The joyful acceptance 
of the new Constitution by the Theosophists in 1898 proved 
they had risen to a higher plane of intuition than hitherto. 

To emphasize the broad and international nature of the 
work. International Bodies were formed at Point Loma of 
students from each different state or country to keep in inner 
touch with their own localities. The importance of this 
department will be seen more clearly as time passes. 

Then there is the Children’s department. If there is one 
thing more than another that H. P. Blavatsky would rejoice 
to see it is the carrying out of her ardent aspirations for the 
education of children on the higher lines of Theosophical 
ethics. In her very last book. The Key to Theosophy , 
she calls attention to the need for such schools where the 
young would be taught self-control and become free from 
selfishness and the tyranny of the lower nature. The Raja 
Yoga Schools and Academies are such Institutions already 
established at Point Loma and in many cities in this and other 
countries. These schools are admitted even by those not 
friendly to Theosophy to be of the highest standard and to 
produce remarkable results in the children, morally and 
intellectually. The children are carrying the light of Theo¬ 
sophy by their well-poised conduct and intelligence, and even 
by their bright and healthy looks in a way that nothing else 
can. They are the object lessons for the world of what a 
Theosophical training can do, even, in some cases upon very 


— 9 — 


unpromising material. The system of group-homes and 
pretty cottages where the children lead a family life,, with 
their home duties and their gardens, etc., is an entirely new 
idea in school life and has produced admirable results. Thus 
is Katherine Tingley carrying out H. P. Blavatsky’s ideal to 
the uttermost. 

The first and all-important object of The Universal. 
Brotherhood and Theosophical Society is Philanthropy 
or Brotherhood. H. P. Blavatsky and William Q. Judge 
founded the Theosophical Society on that basis, and in spite 
of every endeavor to shift its interest to something else which 
would pander to selfishness and personal gratification they 
never changed their base, and Katherine Tingley has so fully' 
demonstrated this that there can be no one so blind as not ta 
see it. On Katherine Tingley*s first “Crusade” around the 
world “Brotherhood suppers’* were given and relief work 
was done among the destitute in the great cities, and the 
members of the Society were shown how to work on practical 
lines hitherto unthought of. Among other things a number 
of distressed Armenians were cheered and given practical 
assistance in Greece. Almost immediately after the return 
of the first Crusade a most important practical relief expedi¬ 
tion was set on foot by the Leader of the Universal Bro¬ 
therhood and Theosophical Society, Katherine Tingley, 
to succor the unfortunate American soldiers at Montauk Point 
who had just returned from the Cuban War. 

How highly this great work of Katherine Tingley at 
Montauk was appreciated by the United States government 


is best shown by the following letters from the late President 
McKinley and the Secretary of War: 

[copr] 

Executive Mansion, 

Washington, Sept. 24, 1898 

Mrs. Katherine Tingley : 

Dear Madam —I have been interested in the represen¬ 
tations that have been made to me concerning the effective 
work of the International Brotherhood League, and am glad 
to know that it is securing such good results in its labors among 
the sick and wounded soldiers and sailors. 

Assuring you of my hope that it may be abundantly 
.successful in its most worthy undertakings, I am. 

Very sincerely yours, 
(Signed) William McKinley. 


[copr] 

War Department, 

Washington, Sept. 23, 1898 

The Commanding Generals of the United States Military 
Forces in Cuba , Porto Rico, or the Philippines: 

This letter of introduction will be presented to you by 
Mrs. Katherine A. Tingley, President International Brother¬ 
hood League, or its authorized representative, who is engaged 
in the philanthropic work of relieving sick and wounded 
soldiers. This organization is favorably indorsed to the 



I — 


department, and it desires to engage in relief work among 
the soldiers of your command. 

You are authorized, in your discretion, to permit the 
league workers to prosecute such work, and to extend to 
them such facilities in that connection as the interests of the 
military service will permit. 

Very respectfully, 

(Signed) G. D. Meiklejohn, 

Acting Sec’y of War. 

Soon after this philanthropic activity, which aroused a 
great deal of sympathy with Theosophy and Theosophists in 
the army and all over America, the leader took another 
expedition to Cuba, which was suffering terribly from the 
effects of the war. The relief work there made a profound 
impression upon all classes of the people for they saw that 
Theosophy did not consist of wire-drawn metaphysics or talk, 
and the result has been a most remarkable development of 
interest in, and practical support of. The International Broth¬ 
erhood League (a department of the Universal Brother¬ 
hood and Theosophical Society) in Cuba. 

Dramatic work :—In the Secret Doctrine H. P. Bla- 
vatsky strongly advises the study of Aeschylus* dramas, and 
one of the first branches of the work Katherine Tingley 
started was the Isis League of Music and Drama, which 
gave a successful representation of the Eumenides at the 
Carnegie Lyceum, New York, and in Buffalo. Since then 
much more preparatory work has been done in the dramatic 


2 - 


line, and now Katherine Tingley has purchased the beautiful 
Isis Theater in San Diego, one of the best equipped houses 
on the Pacific coast. The Isis Theater is the only theater 
owned by one who is independent of all private objects, and 
so here is an unique opportunity of putting the highest Theo- 
sophical ideals of what the drama should be into practise. 
The Isis Theater is one of the most valuable educational 
factors of the Universal Brotherhood and Theosophical 
Society. At Point Loma Katherine Tingley set the example 
to educationalists by the construction of the first open-air 
Greek Theater, and she was the first to give Greek classical 
plays in English to the public. 

It was H. P. Blavatsky’s wish to have a weekly Theo- 
sophical paper, but the difficulties were insuperable in her 
<lay. Katherine Tingley has succeeded in obtaining a large 
circulation already throughout the world for the Century 
Path, a high-class Theosophical weekly, which carries the 
good tidings far and wide. This splendid courier of light is 
to be found in hundreds of public reading rooms. The 
Raja Toga Messenger , a magazine for young folk has also 
been started by the Leader recently, and is winning its way 
merrily with its promise of better times for the children. 

Among the successful efforts of Katherine Tingley to 
spread the Light of Theosophy it is difficult to choose which 
to leave untold, for it seems as if each were more important 
than the last, but the Crusades cannot be passed by without 
a further reference. Katherine Tingley saw clearly, on first 
accepting the Leadership of the Society that it was desirable 


— 13 — 


for her to get some of her students in touch with the various 
nations she was seeking to benefit as soon as possible, and so 
she has taken two long fatiguing journeys around the world 
not sightseeing, but studying conditions on the spot in the 
various countries visited. She has also made several shorter 
crusades to Europe, Cuba, and over the United States. 
Everywhere she has been received with distinguished con¬ 
sideration by leading persons of intelligence and influence 
and the effect of these crusades has been to break down a 
great deal of prejudice and misconception against Theosophy 
and to start numerous centers of activity. 

During her last European Crusade Katherine Tingley was 
successful in rescuing from misuse the old London center 
where H. P. Blavatsky worked and died, and until the New 
Raja Yoga Institute was opened at 91 Avenue Road the 
merry voices of little children were heard in H. P. Blavatsky’s 
lecture hall repeating their simple lessons and singing the 
bright Lotus songs of the Raja Yoga School. 

But the rapid growth of the Raja Yoga work in London 
necessitated larger buildings with more rooms to accommo¬ 
date the increasing demand of the public, and a large, hand¬ 
some house with ample grounds was procured at 91 
Avenue Road, which will serve for many years as a 
center of enlightenment for the children of London, a 
fitting monument to that tireless worker for humanity, 
H. P. Blavatsky. 

The above is a glance only at some of Katherine Tingley* s 
activities on original lines, but volumes could be written of 


— 14 - 


facts as yet untold, by individuals, men and women of all 
ranks and classes in life who have been helped at some diffi¬ 
cult crisis in life, guided over treacherous quagmires and 
brought to a new sense of the purpose of life and their own 
Divinity through Katherine Tingley. 

A Student 


© © © 


FACTS WORTH KNOWING 

I N view of the many unwarrantable misstatements regarding 
Katherine Tingley and the work of the Universal 
Brotherhood and Theosophical Society, of which 
she is Leader and Official Head, the Woman’s Theosophical 
Propaganda League takes this opportunity of placing before 
the public a few facts. 

Through the persistent efforts of the enemies of this work, 
aided by a few second-class journals, every means has been 
used to confuse the public mind regarding the nature of 
Katherine Tingley’s work and her real purposes. That 
these efforts have not succeeded to any appreciable degree, 
and cannot succeed, is becoming more and more clearly 
demonstrated. But to help to move the stumbling block of 
possible misconception from the minds of inquirers is the 
object of this brief statement. 


— 1 5 — 


The foulest of all these misrepresentations have arisen from 
a member of a certain (so-called) “Theosophical ” body 
which we do not endorse and which is in no way connected 
with or recognized by us. This member claimed he had a 
“mission’* to “expose” Katherine Tingley and to hand 
over the leadership of the Universal Brotherhood and 
Theosophical Society to the (so-called) Theosophical 
society of which Mrs. Annie Besant is now the head. As 
further evidence as to the character of this man it is sufficient 
to say he relies largely upon astrological aspects, and ac¬ 
cording to a well-known and prominent physician under 
whose treatment he was for several years, he is a mono¬ 
maniac. Yet this man’s false and scandalous statements have 
been used to influence people to oppose Katherine Tingley 
and her work. 

For the general reasons why we repudiate all connexion 
with Mrs. Besant’s society, the inquirer is referred to a 
short historical sketch, entitled A Review and Outlook of the 
Theosophical Movement , one of the chapters in the Mysteries 
of the Heart Doctrine , but it may be said in addition that 
we hold that Theosophy must be a practise and not a 
mere theory. H. P. Blavatsky, the Foundress of the Theo¬ 
sophical Society, taught, as have also her successors William 
Q. Judge and Katherine Tingley, that “ Theosophist is who 
Theosophy does” (See Key to Theosophy') , and insisted 
that a member’s life shall accord with his professions. 

Last year one of the most prominent members of 
Mrs. Besant’s society, a Mr. C. W. Leadbeater, who had 


—16— 


been endorsed by both Col. Olcott and Mrs. Besant as a 
lecturer and representative of their society, and had been 
looked up to by the members of that society as a great 
teacher and occultist (!), was accused of gross immorality, 
and it is reported that he was unable to clear himself and fled 
the country. It has been asserted that this man had for 
years been practising this unnameable vice with young boys, 
and yet he was placed before the public as an exponent of 
Theosophy and endorsed by those who professed to have 
occult knowledge and an insight into human nature. And 
his books are still sold by these people, who thus tacitly still 
endorse the man! 

We may say further that as students of Theosophy we 
hold we are too far advanced to accept modern Brahminism 
or to sanction child-marriage. 

In all this it should be distinctly understood that in no 
way is the above intended to apply to the individual lay 
members of that society referred to, for the majority of them 
probably know nothing about our work nor the inner history 
of the Theosophical Movement, and but little maybe of the 
workings of their own society. 

To give another instance of the kind of people relied on 
by this body of “ Theosophists ” and whose statements the 
Los Angeles Times took as the basis of its outrageous attack 
on Katherine Tingley, we call attention to the following: 

We refer to a Mrs. Leavitt formerly of San Diego, 
also a member of the repudiated body of “Theosophists” 
and associated with others of that society in attempting to 


destroy Katherine Tingley’s work. The record of Mrs. 
Leavitt shows that she was formerly a servant girl in a family 
in San Diego, and was afterwards promoted to a prominent 
position in the repudiated “ Theosophical” Society. As 
she had never been a member of the Society of which 
Katherine Tingley is the Head, and had^never lived at 
Point Loma or in any way knew Katherine Tingley, it is 
plain to see that animus was the prime factor in the malicious 
work done by her and her associates. How true it is that a 
lie two hours ahead of truth gains power with the multitude. 

The verdict accorded Katherine Tingley in her law-suit 
against Gen. Otis was favorable to her, and the insti¬ 
gators of the scandals which were published broadcast 
throughout the land are given a stern rebuke in the charge 
which Judge Torrance of the Superior Court of San Diego 
gave to the jury at the close of the trial, and from the 
published report of which the quoted extracts given below 
are taken. 

For the information of those not acquainted with the facts, 
the following statement is made : 

In October, 1901, an article was published in the Los 
Angeles Times by the Times-Mirror Company, of which 
Gen. Harrison Gray Otis is president, being also Editor o^ 
the paper, in which outrageous statements were made against 
Katherine Tingley and the Point Loma Institution. In 
consequence of this, Katherine Tingley brought a libel suit 
against the Times-Mirror Company and Gen. Otis. This 
libel suit was tried before Judge Torrance of the Superior 


—18- 


Court in San Diego, December 1902, and January 1903, 
being concluded January 13, 1903, when the jury rendered 
a verdict in favor of the plaintiff Katherine Tingley, com¬ 
pletely vindicating her and the Point Loma Institution, and 
awarding her heavy damages. 

It may interest readers to know that Gen. Harrison Gray 
Otis was at the time Vice-President of the Associated 
Press. 

In his charge to the jury Judge Torrance said again and 
again to statement after statement which had been made by 
the defendant Otis and to charges alleged by him : 

“ I declare to you as matter of law that there is no legal 
proof of the truth of that charge, and therefore you must 
regard it as false.” 

Note these words: 

“ I declare to you as matter of law that there is no legal 
proof of the truth of that charge , and therefore you must 
regard it as false.' > ' > 

He further said to the jury: * * I deem it of great importance 
that you should clearly apprehend the real issues in this case. 

. . . So far as they pertain to the exclusive province of 

the Court they are these, and the Court thus decides them: 

(( First. —The publication in the Los Angeles Daily Times 
complained of in this action was capable of the 
interpretation placed upon it by the complaint. 

** Second.— So far as defendant has not denied by its 
answer (not by the words of its counsel) the mean- 





— i 9 — 


ings attributed to this publication by the complaint 
the article must have been regarded to have been 
published, and to have been understood by those 
who read it, in the sense imputed by the complaint. 

“Third.— The publication, in all respects in which it 
is construed by the complaint, is in law libellous.** 

As said above, the jury returned a verdict for the plaintiff 
with heavy damages, and the Superior Court Decision was 
upheld by the State Supreme Court. 

MRS. TINGLEY WINS SUIT 

California Supreme Court Sustains Judgment of $7500 
Against “ Los Angeles Times” 

Point Loma, Cal., April 3 (Special)—Katherine Tingley 
has won her libel suit against the Times-Mirror Company, 
publishers of the Los Angeles Times y Harrison Gray Otis, 
editor. The decision of the San Diego Superior Court is 
upheld and judgment for $7500 is affirmed by the State 
Supreme Court. Four years ago Mrs. Tingley brought suit 
for libel against the Times and won her case in the Superior 
Court of San Diego County. Mr. Otis appealed to the 
Supreme Court for a new trial. The case has been pending 
for the past three years. The Supreme Court has given 
Mrs. Tingley a final victory by affirming the decision of the 
lower court notwithstanding eight hundred or more objections 
entered by the attorneys for Mr. Otis. 

—Boston Transcript , April 3, 1907 


FOR TRUTH’S SAKE 



LL those who are at all acquainted with 


A Katherine Tingley and her Theosophical 
work will recognize the general faithfulness 
of the following account written by Mr. Greusel. 
But, not having previously had direct personal 
knowledge of Katherine Tingley, meeting her now 
for the first time, and not being himself a student 
of Theosophy, also not being able to take shorthand 
notes of the whole interview which owing to lack 
of time was hurried—it is not to be wondered at 
that in certain instances he failed to follow every 
word, and much that she said was omitted. In 
order, therefore, to prevent misconception we call 
attention to the footnotes, which Katherine Tingley 
authorizes us to make, and regarding which Mr. 
Greusel has written his full approval. 

The above in no sense affects the general tenor 
and fairness of Mr. Greusel’s article, for it will be 
plain to all that he has caught something of the inner 
spirit of Katherine Tingley’s work, and discerned the 
high purposes in life which inspire her. He has 
written so sympathetically and intuitively that it 
gives much pleasure to the many members of the 


Universal Brotherhood and Theosophical 
Society who have read the account of his interview 
to express their great appreciation of the fairness 
both of his statement of facts and of his impressions. 

As a matter of courtesy and justice we would ask, 
if any reprint is made of this interview or extracts 
therefrom, that this prefatory note be published 
likewise. 

J. H. Fussell 

Private Secretary to Katherine Tingley 
Point Loma, California, 

May 28, 1907 


The Detroit Free Press , for which John Hubert 
Greusel wrote his interview with Katherine Tingley, 
stands in the forefront of the first-class daily papers 
of the United States, and is one of the most influen¬ 
tial and widely read in America, and also well known 
in Canada, England, etc. 

Regarding the writer of the interview :—Mr. John 
Hubert Greusel has interviewed perhaps more notable 
men and women than any other interviewer in the 
United States. Out of this large number it is of 
interest to mention the following: three Presidents 
of the United States—Grover Cleveland, William 
McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt; Secretary of 
War Taft; numerous U. S. Senators; prominent 



- 2 2 - 


actors, writers, philanthropists and other notable 
men and women. Of these we can name but 
few: General Lew Wallace, Cornelius Vanderbilt, 
Thomas A. Edison, Nikola Tesla, Susan B. Anthony, 
Lady Somerset, Adelina Patti, Andrew Carnegie, 
Mark Twain, George Kennan, Paul Bourget, Walt 
Whitman, etc., etc. 

George F. Goodale, who, after William Winter, 
is said to be the oldest critic in continuous dramatic 
work in the United States or Europe, says of 
Mr. Greusel: 

It is my conviction that he is the best interviewer I have 
known in forty years of experience with newspaper work. 

Julius Chambers, journalist, author, managing 
editor, New York Herald and New York World , 
says: 

Greusel has written some of the best things ever printed 
in the New York newspapers. 

James E. Scripps, publisher Detroit Evening 
News , one of the founders of the Cleveland Press , 
St. Louis Chronicle , Cincinnati Post: 

As a special interview writer, we have never had one 
whom I more appreciated. Some of your biographical 
sketches have been masterpieces. 

Wu Ting Fang, Chinese Ambassador, Legation, 
Washington : 

The interview as reported is the fairest. 


A Visit to 

KATHERINE TINGLEY 

New Head of Theosophists, at her California 
Home ★ A Remarkable Woman, Say What 
You Will or Believe What You May 

By John Hubert Greusel 

T WELL remember the furor created in New York city 
-** in 1896, when Theosophists declared that Madame 
Helena P. Blavatsky had returned from the dead : had 
been seen on the streets. This famous Russian, whose soul 
was an allegory of Oriental mysticism, had for years been 
among the unique characters before the American public. 
I recall interviewing her some months before her disappear¬ 
ance. Her bizarre ways, her uprolling eyes, her fat figure, 
her Russian cigarette, still linger in memory; and hearing her 


- 24 - 


talk, I could well understand her keen knowledge of human 
nature. She told me that she had been studying Sanscrit 
among the Mahatmas in Thibet, and I was advised to read 
“Isis Unveiled.” Truly, Madame Blavatsky was of the 
apostolic type, a born woman militant, carrying far and wide 
by fire and sword her propaganda of Theosophy. 

This is not the place to dwell on the story of Theosophy, 
after Madame Blavatsky’s death. In the fullness of time the 
cause was continued by that deep student and writer William 
Q. Judge. Suffice it to say that the Theosophy of today, 
under Madame Tingley, is widely removed from the spiritism 
and ghostology of Annie Besant. 

Madame Katherine Tingley is now the head of the Theo- 
sophic movement throughout the world. I had heard so 
much of her and her work at Point Loma, that I was happy 
to have an opportunity to interview her in detail. 

I shall always recall pleasantly this remarkable woman. 
She has an eager, searching intellect, an open mind, and I 
believe is a born leader. After talking with her intimately 
for an hour and fifteen minutes, I left feeling that I had been 
in the presence of one of the world’s great women. 

Before I give details of this rather unusual interview, let 
me tell you briefly of the Theosophical school at Point Loma, 
California. The grounds are entered through an Egyptian 
gateway ; the long high point of land juts into the Pacific ; 


— 25 — 


the blue bay of San Diego, not unlike the Bay of Naples, is 
to the east; the distant Sierra Madre mountains fill the back¬ 
ground to the skies. The Point Loma estate resembles a 
great semi-tropical garden. The buildings, some fifty in 
number, suggest the dream picture of the world’s fair. 
There is an Aryan Temple with an amethyst dome; a 
homestead with a green dome; there are landscapes adorned 
with fruits and flowers, in which this community of philoso¬ 
phers work, rest and dream their lives away, delving into 
ancient lore, studying comparative religions, ancient and 
modern music, drama, and especially the truths of Karma, 
reincarnation and other intimate details of Theosophy. 

I wish I had space to tell you of the wonderful things that 
Madame Tingley is doing for children in her Raja Yoga 
school; the outdoor life, the surprising studies in music, 
athletics and the drama. There are children from the seven 
seas. At times, the little Theosophists are seen at the Isis 
Theater, in Greek robes, wearing wreaths of flowers and 
going through graceful exercises. 

At Point Loma are millionaires, actors, writers, students, 
day laborers, pilgrims from many lands. To this earthly 
paradise, land of perpetual summer, the world-weary journey 
to find in Theosophy relief from the pangs and pains of life. 
It is like a chapter from the “Arabian Nights.” 

And Madame Katherine Tingley, with her 100,000 fol¬ 
lowers throughout the world, is the leader by the divine right 
of natural fitness. Her will is supreme, and before her death 
she tells me she has the power to name her successor. 


-26- 


Eyes of Hypnotist* 

I had heard so much of Madame Tingley that naturally I 
wished an opportunity to study her closely. 

I expected to meet a mystic. I found a woman who 
talked spiritedly, without hesitation. She urged me to ask 
any question I might wish. When I left, she told me that 
the interview was the longest she had ever accorded a news¬ 
paper writer. 

She made a beautiful picture. Her grace, her happy 
retorts, her smiling manner inspired confidence. She wore 
a Greek gown of soft white silk, striped with an old-ivory 
tone; a clinging white silk shawl with rich fringe; and upon 
her fingers were two diamond rings, a turquoise and a plain 
band. 

Around her neck on a plain gold chain was a large ame¬ 
thyst heart. This talisman, which she fondled lovingly as 
she chatted, flashed like a thing of life. 

Mrs. Tingley’s large hazel eyes especially attracted me. 
They are searching in their gaze, restless, now lighting with 
smiling thoughts, now shadowed by under-tones and half- 
lights. 

* Mr. Greusel makes the statement, “ She has the eyes of a hypnotist; 
a smiling splendid hypnotist.” We know that he did not mean to convey 
that Katherine Tingley practised hypnotism. Later on he says the assertion 
that she is a hypnotist makes him smile, and the whole tenor of his article 
shows that he recognizes her life and work to be of such wide-reaching in¬ 
fluence that anyone coming into her presence cannot but feel their power 
for good so that it may well be called “splendid hypnotism.” 



— 27 — 


I detected glimpses of will power ; that hard resolution, 
that self-poise so necessary for extraordinary leadership. 

She has the eyes of a hypnotist; a smiling splendid 
hypnotist.* 


Katherine Tingley 

I beheld before me a woman who has, singularly developed, 
these opposed traits; intellectual insight, feminine sympathy, 
masculine power without masculinity ; a gentlewoman, but 
also dogmatic; a self-conscious feminist leader, holding in her 
hand rulership over 100,000 faithful followers throughout 
the world. 

To add to the enigma are her pretty feminine ways, her 
easy laughter, her gay spirit. As she talked on, in her 
intimate style, at times making motions as though also talking 
with her hands, she reflected many moods. Her mind 
caught fire readily ; her imagination bodied forth still larger 
achievements for the cause of Theosophy; and as I puzzled 
over the riddle of her dual nature I sought in vain for some 
comparison. 

I came finally to regard her as a sort of apostolic type, a 
modern Joan of Arc, carrying her propaganda of Theosophy 
by the force of poetic thought, backed also by indomitable 
resolution for what she regards as the truth of nature. 

Mrs. Tingley’s style is as evanescent as the bubbles that 
rise to the top of the champagne glass. More than once, I 


* See footnote p. 26. 



—28— 


am sure, her eyes filled with mist; her thoughts were close 
to tears; and once, especially, when she spoke of her child¬ 
hood, wandering in the forest, listening to the wild birds, she 
dropped her chin on her hands and leaned forward, with a 
sort of inward ecstasy. 

At that moment she was charming. The light touching 
the edges of her dark hair, her cheeks blanched as though 
by the power of sad thoughts, the half-light in her eyes, her 
womanly appearing manner, her exquisite silk and old-ivory 
costume, the background of her grand rooms, will live in 
memory. 

I asked her if in her scheme of life she ever thought of 
tomorrow. She smiled brightly. 

“If the motive is right,” she told me, “that is enough. 
I do not worry over the outcome. Theosophy gives such 
freedom to mind and heart, joy to the passing hour. I have 
no fears of any kind.” 

She repeated these words, in various ways, several times, 
throughout the talk, and dwelt on fear as the one horrible, 
repulsive thing in life. 

“Oh, if humanity could only rid itself of fear,” said she, 
making expressive motions with her hands, “ fear of public 
opinion, fear of tomorrow, fear of what people will say, fear 
of loss, fear of death. It is fear that paralyses the heart, 
robs life of action. This glorious feeling of independence ! 
It is so necessary to realize what is best in one’s nature. We 
should come to know that nothing outside of ourselves has 
power to harm ; that we are our own best friend and worst 


- 29 - 


enemy. It took me a long time to learn this, but when once 
you get it, when once you have it—” 

She clasped her hands as in prayer. 


World-Wide Plans 

As we chatted intimately, she impressed me very soon as 
possessing the visible sign I have always found in men of 
power and large purpose. She has that supreme self- 
confidence that springs from intense identification with her 
object in life. It is not too much to say that she has actually 
created her own world. 

Her autocratic power is now to become world-wide. I 
marveled on this, tried to understand the mainsprings of her 
mind. In the simplest manner she dwelt on projects gigantic 
in their reach. To her. Point Loma is the mother-influence 
from which all her larger undertakings are radiating. 

“I have recently bought* property in the King’s Forest 
near London,” she said, with a happy smile, “and also in 
the Royal Forest, Sweden; and I have come into possession 
of the historic battlefield of San Juan on which Roosevelt 
made his gallant charge, and where, too, so many of our 
brave boys died,” she added with touch of pathos. “All 
our work seems to go forward in close association with the 
government domain.” 


* This should read, ** Have come into possession of property in the 

Royal Forest near London, and have purchased property in the Royal 
Forest, Sweden, and also purchased the historic battlefield of San Juan, etc.” 




— 3 o— 


“You have had many strange things happen in your 
life?” 

“Yes, indeed : and I cannot understand it* except that it 
is God’s providence. You know, the United States govern¬ 
ment tried to buy the San Juan battlefield for a national park, 
but failed ; and it came to me. Is not that singular? Yes, 
I can scarcely explain it myself, except under the truth of the 
old words about casting your bread on the waters. 

“ There is no profit, no glory, no money in our move¬ 
ment; no propaganda*)- no appeal for converts. People 
come to us. They grow tired of worldly life, perhaps, and 
see Point Loma from the ends of the earth. Really, you 
would be surprised. To-day, some distinguished man from 
Japan; tomorrow from Egypt; and so on. They are all 
seeking the truth, and when they find it it brings them 
peace.” 

“ But, Madame Tingley, do they not come on account of 
your leadership ? ” 

“Not at all. I am nothing the cause is everything. 
The good seed was sown by Madame Blavatsky and by that 

* Read, “ I cannot now explain it.” 

f Katherine Tingley did not say, “No propaganda.” but “No prose¬ 
lyting.” There is a very large propaganda carried on by the Universal 
Brotherhood and Theosophical Society all over the world ; but there 
is no effort to make proselytes, “no appeal for converts.” 

J Katherine Tingley’s statement was as follows s “ But I am so little in 
comparison with the mighty hand of the Law.” Theosophy teaches that 
man weaves his own destiny, and to the extent of his knowledge is master 
of it. 



noble man, Mr. Judge. I inherited their plans, was selected 
to carry out the work for humanity. That is all. I am 
as nothing in the hands of destiny.” 


The Appeal of Theosophy 

She glanced at me sharply as much as to say, “ Does he 
understand?” Continuing, she dwelt on the joys of Theo¬ 
sophy,, its comfort, its living power. It seemed to me that 
she was struggling with an idea, trying to bring down to my 
comprehension something that at least is as difficult of detailed 
description as is the word “love.” She was dwelling on 
an emotion of her heart; was trying to tell in words some¬ 
thing that was largely a matter of feeling. In fact, she 
plainly disavowed any intellectual* idea in Theosophy; 
regarding it, instead, as a vital force expressive of a spirit, an 
atmosphere ; something that gradually is revealed to the 
earnest seeker after truth. Madame Tingley never was more 
impressive and yet more spontaneous than at this moment. 
Listen : 

“ Oh, it is so beautiful, this philosophy of ours.” She 
closed her eyes and grew almost mystical. That mood 
quickly passed. She lowered her voice almost to a whisper 

* This is evidently a typographical error, the word “merely” being omit¬ 
ted. Read, “any merely intellectual idea in Theosophy,” and it will be 
correct. Katherine Tingley does not disavow the use of the intellect, but 
gives it its right place, not as master but as servant. She says : “Theosophy ~ 
is more than an intellectual system; it is practise as well as knowledge ; 
it is the understanding of the heart as well as the reasoning of the 
intellect.” 



— 32 — 


and spoke rapidly. ** It is beautiful because it is true and 
because it fills the needs of every-day life, without which all 
religion is dross. 

** Men talk of love and know not what they mean. True 
love is love of brotherhood, love of mankind; and when 
once you get it —” 

And she made a spirited motion with her hands. 

“ I have passed through many bitter experiences for our 
cause. I have toiled and I have suffered and I have been 
persecuted ; but I never lost faith in the ultimate good. Of 
what value, after all, is a religion that is not worth dying 
for. I often think of good old John Wesley and his words, 
that Methodism is good enough to live for, to fight for, to 
die for. So it is with Theosophy. It affords a cause 
for which one may grandly die. 

“ Madame Blavatsky was a Russian and, like her country¬ 
women, was not always understood by Americans. The 
heart of her creed* was virile with truth, else it would long 
ago have died. 1 have inherited the splendid cause. I am 
carrying it forward. It is not I, either ; it is the truth. 
Otherwise it would have died. Truth is mighty and will 
prevail. 

* Here again the change of a word puts an entirely different construction 
on Katherine Tingley’s meaning. Change creed to teaching and it will 
convey the correct meaning. ‘ ‘ The heart of her teaching was virile with 
Truth.” The Theosophical Society has no creed—unless Universal 

Brotherhood may be called one. But it accepts Universal Brotherhood as 
a scientific fact in Nature as well as an ideal to be striven for. 



— 33 — 


“We believe that the work must be carried forward on the 
lines laid down by Madame Blavatsky and Mr. Judge. It is 
my fate* to carry forward these efforts. I am daily demon¬ 
strating the practicability of Theosophy. You would be 
surprised to know that we seek no converts, yet our lists 
are always more than filled. There are at present over 
fifteen hundred applications.*!* 

Brotherhood 

“ Rich men, famous men, poor men, all classes,, seek 
Point Loma for the true life. The distinguished actor So- 
and-so, the great painter So-and-so, the noted writer So-and- 
so, come here, work in the gardens, or about the grounds 
or buildings, studying philosophy to enrich their lives. Why 
is this ? Theosophy holds them by its noble truths. I 
would not give a rap if they came for any other purpose. It 
is to enter the brotherhood. 

“ I wish I could make clear this idea of brotherhood, how 
far-reaching, how soul-satisfying. 

** It takes time to find the thought. I do not blame those 
who come and are disappointed. They are not ready. At 
first, they must be on probation. They must work, must 
study, must try to understand. If they fail—well, we are 
all human and are not all ready for the great truths, you 
know.” 

* Change to “It is my privilege, etc.” 

| I.e., to the Raja Yoga Academy and Raja Yoga School. 



- 34 - 


Power of Reincarnation 

We spoke of a number of mystical things and gradually I 
worked the conversation along to the occult side. I wished 
to test her mysticism. 

“You must not be surprised, ,, she said with an arch 
smile, “to learn that we hold belief in reincarnation—” 

“ Nothing would surprise me, Madame Tingley. ,, 

“ But I do not carry this to the extreme, you know. I 
do not fancy myself formerly Marie Antoinette or Cleopatra, 
or anything like that ; but I fervently hold that I have been 
on earth before, have passed through many experiences, some 
of which remain. 

“I have a strong sense of music and color that has come 
down to me from another existence, and I fill my life with 
beauty and color. Day by day I must have color. 

“ I often think of Blind Tom. No one taught him to 
play, and yet how wonderful was his perception of music. 
That is pure theosophical thought. There are many 
wonderful things in this life, like that, you know. * * 

I spoke of the possibility of knowledge not actually 
based on experience. She agreed with me that she had 
powerful intuitions of things she had never been taught her¬ 
self ; intuitions as strong as knowledge based on actual ex¬ 
perience. It was true especially in her understanding of 
human needs. Many persons came to her for advice. To 
this one she said, “ Do so and so;” to that one, “You must 
suffer more;” to another, “You must learn more of life.” 


—3 5 — 


To each inquirer she had her answer and in each instance 
the one instructed might profit by her words. 

She told me this quickly, spontaneously and, I thought, 
without the slightest trace of self-conceit. She believes in 
herself and her mission and holds that she is endowed, 
through Theosophy, with spiritual insight of the greatest 
value to human life. 


Unity of Life 

It was all so interesting, so novel. Here was a lovely 
woman in white silk, surrounded by luxury, with soft white 
hands, diamonds, idolized by 100,000 followers the world 
over, projecting her spirit out along the dark side of life and 
talking of the hardships that men bear. I have never seen 
her like before, nor do I ever expect to meet a second 
Madame Katherine Tingley. 

“We are all brothers. The mighty must reach down to¬ 
wards the lowly, the lowly must be borne upward.’* 

I had heard this idea many times, in many places, but the 
way Madame Tingley expressed it impressed me almost as a 
new thought. It was at this point that I said to myself: 

“ This woman is a sort of modern Joan of Arc.” 

Then I told her frankly what I was thinking, and she 
replied : 

“Do you know, I doubt if she felt the flames burning her 
at the stake ? True, she must have thought of the horrible 
things they were doing to her, but her cause exalted her so 


—3 6 — 


far above this world that the very sacrifice of life was sweet 
and glorious: martyrs die with smiles on their lips. Such 
to me is the cause of Theosophy. The movement has 
spread to every country in the world. I hope my life will 
be spared to do more still.** 

“Then, Madame Tingley, if you will allow me, ‘There 
is no error in the universal plan.* ” 

“That is a pearl of wisdom. You have a grand con¬ 
ception there.’* 

Supreme Faculty, Leadership 

I do not hope to understand Madame Tingley. She is 
unique. Her work is too large to be grasped without long 
study. One of the world’s leaders, she is withal a woman. 
She seems to have the constructive imagination of Catherine 
of Russia, the idealism of a modernized Joan of Arc. She 
is fascinating and she is powerful. Some say she is a hypno¬ 
tist. This I could well understand, although the assertion 
makes me smile. Certainly she has one unusual gift, the 
power of organization on a worldwide scale. Her sovereign 
ease in large affairs is her inherent faculty. 

In a parliament of historic women, Madame Tingley would 
be a notable leader. 

She tells me that she has suffered for the cause of 
Theosophy. From Socrates to Christ, where yet has a 
truth-teller appeared who has not been stoned ? 

Madame Tingley has inspired the kind of devotion that 


— 37 - 


held together the Bourbons, the Stuarts, the American patriots* 
in a word, those who make sacrifices for a dynasty, a king,, 
a cause, or a creed. 

“To every saint his candle,” says the proverb, and 
Madame Tingley’s followers rally round her as a leader chosen 
out of the world. 

As I met the woman, talked to her closely, studied her 
power, I became more and more unable to understand. She 
is a woman apart. 

Why She is a Theosophist 

“ What can you tell me of your development? ” I asked 
Madame Tingley. 

“ When I was a child of twelve I used to steal away to 
the woods, in New England, and you know how little 
independence* there is there. No one understood me, I 
was a wilful child, they said, but I was already seeking the 
light. I wanted—Oh, I wanted independence; I cared 
nothing for what people said ;*j- but I was always bound by 
fear, that deadly fear of everything, the fear that paralyses, 
the heart. 

** My eyes melted to tears at the song of the wild bird. 

* For this read, “ and you know how little independence a child had 
there.” 

•f- Read, “ I was not to be turned aside by what people said; but the people 
around me were bounded by fear: that is,” she added, “in their attempts to 
live the spiritual life.” Those who have known Katherine Tingley from 
her childhood say she is absolutely fearless, and was so even as a child. 



_ 3 8 - 


“ I wondered and I dreamed, but dreaming did not long 
satisfy me. I had to have something practical, too. I am 
intensely practical; yes, everything in my life fits as snugly 
together as the fine stones of a mosaic. It must be so, else 
I am not satisfied. 

“I passed through many bitter experiences, but that is all 
past and gone. It was necessary for my development. I 
had to live in order to know what it means to live. 

“ I tried many philosophies. I loved Emerson and Whittier 
and Longfellow and all the noble writers, and during my 
apprenticeship in life it seemed now and then that the poets 
just touched on the edge of something that set the heart 
aglow—stirred me but did not quite satisfy, 

“Then came Theosophy, which united all my past ex¬ 
periences, broadened for me with noble meaning all that was 
before me. I grasped the Theosophic idea of brotherhood in 
its world-wide interpretation, and after that life for me has 
been one glad sweet song. Every day has its brightness, its 
bloom, its color. Every day is the happiest I ever lived. 
There is no thought of yesterday or tomorrow, only the joy 
of living to day, the happiness of the passing moment, the 
unity of all life, and the noble plan of life eternal. 

“I see on one side forces of darkness, on the other those 
of light ; but I do not dwell on the dark side. I turn my 
«yes to greet the rising sun. 

“ Good-bye, my time is up. I hope to see you soon 
again.” 


A STUDY OF RAJA YOGA AT 
POINT LOMA* 


(Reprint from the San Francisco Chronicle January 6th, 1907) 

4(^1 ^HERE are more things in heaven and earth Horatio, 
A than is dreamed of in your philosophy.” How 
often in our daily life we find application for the 
moralizing of Hamlet. We imagine that our philosophy is 
world embracing in its scope and then comes a day when all 
our preconceived notions are scattered to the four winds of 
heaven. 


* The occasion referred to in this account was the visit of the Counties 
Committees of the California Promotion Committee who were holding 
convention in San Diego and were invited by the teachers and children to 
attend a reception in the Rotunda of the Raja Yoga Academy. Among 
those present were Andrea Sbarboro, Esq., Chairman of the Counties 
Committee, and a prominent banker in the State of California ; Rufus P. 
Jennings, Esq., Chairman of the Executive Committee; George Kennan, 
Esq., the noted traveler; Dr. Clarence E. Edwords, Chief, Publicity 
Bureau, the writer of this account, and many other men prominent in the 
State. Mr. Sbarboro, speaking on behalf of the California Promotion 
Committee, addressing Katherine Tingley, said: “You should be con¬ 
gratulated on the noble work you have done, for you have erected a human 
and living temple. These children and their children’s children will for 
generations to come honor and bless you for the noble work you have done 
for them and for humanity.” 



— 40 — 


I must confess to such a scattering of my ideas when I 
visited Point Loma, away down near the southern end of the 
State, and was invited to walk through the grounds of the 
homestead of the Universal Brotherhood, and to get a 
■close view of the people there in their home life. It was so 
different from what I expected to see that I must have con¬ 
tinually shown my surprise. The first thing my mind was 
disabused of was the idea that it was a religious institution. 
It took about five minutes of conversation with the gentleman 
in whose care and under whose guidance I was placed to 
show me that all my preconceived notions as to what this 
Point Loma institution is, were utterly without foundation. 

It is a school, pure and simple, and everybody there from 
the youngest babes to octogenarians tottering towards the 
grave, are students. When I say “ everybody ” I use the 
word advisedly, for even the teachers are students, and classes 
are arranged to meet all the requirements of those who make 
their home on that wonderful headland, jutting some twelve 
miles out into the ocean. 

George Kennan, that world traveler and close observer of 
things and men, asked one of the younger students of the 
Raja Yoga school this question : 

“ At how young an age do you think the education of a 
■child should begin?” 

The answer was prompt and directly to the point: 

“It all depends upon what you are going to teach it.” 

The Raja Yoga system believes in taking the child early, 
and tutelage here may be said to begin at birth. Possibly I 


- 41 - 


have placed the beginning a little too early, but I know it to 
be a fact that in some instances the education begins at the 
age of six weeks, for I saw certain “students” of that age 
being taught self restraint. 

And this is the secret of the whole system. That is so 
far as the educational proposition is concerned. The teachers 
of the Raja Yoga system try to begin so early that they have 
nothing in the child’s mind to unlearn—no harmful thought 
to eradicate. 


The Nursery 

“ Come, let me show you our nursery,” said my guide. 
A fair-haired nurse whose every feature harked back to Norse 
ancestry, welcomed us into the nursery, which presented 
much the same general appearance as a dozen or more or¬ 
phanage nurseries which I have visited in various parts of 
the world. I was not deeply impressed, and perhaps did 
not evince the proper enthusiasm over the place. Inci¬ 
dentally, however, I asked where the babies came from. 
Then came the surprise. My companion replied as if it 
were the most natural thing in the world, that they all 
belonged there. They were all the babies of the “ students” 
who lived on the ground. 

“ But—what—why—” the question could scarcely 
frame itself on my lips. “ How does it happen that they 
are kept here ? Do they stay here all day long away from 
their mothers ? ” 


“Yes, and all night, too,” was the surprising answer. 
“ They are permitted to go to their parents for two hours 
every Sunday afternoon.” 

“ But do you mean to tell me that fathers and mothers— 
especially mothers—allow their babies to be separated from 
them and cared for on the community plan ?” I now plainly 
exhibited astonishment. The idea was old but its practice 
was so entirely outside of all thought of possibility that I am 
afraid I permitted my surprise to overmaster me. 

“Certainly they do. I have two little ones among 
them.” 

“ Do you mean to say that you permit your babies to be 
taken from you and kept away all the week without seeing 
them ? * * 

“Not exactly permit them to be taken away. We send 
them away for the good of their lives. There is nothing 
obligatory here. We are under no compulsion. What we 
do in this matter we do because we think—in fact we know 
it is for the best so far as the child is concerned.” 

“ But how about the affection between parents and child¬ 
ren. Is it not weakened ? ” 

“On the contrary it is increased. Come up to my 
house. The children are there now, and I warrant you 
that they will be found on the floor with their mother playing 
like three kids.” 

To his house we went and his prediction was true. 
Mother and two children, one of 4 and the other of 18 
months, were in the midst of a great romp. On the arrival 


— 43 — 


of the father there was a rush and in an instant the two little 
ones were swarming over him in the greatest glee. I have 
felt a twinge of my conscience several times since that day 
because I kept that father and children apart for the two 
hours in the week that they could be together. Of course 
I did not know it, and he never said a word about it, but 
when I saw the way those babies loved him and his affection 
for them I knew that I had stolen two sacred hours out of 
his life. 


“What is the Idea” 

“ But what is the idea of it all ? ” That was the question 
I could not keep back, and I had been told to ask any 
question I liked. 

“ The idea is of the simplest. The idea of Raja Yoga is 
to make a perfect mental, physical and spiritual balance in the 
human system. We do not believe in prodigies. We strive 
to have the growth of the child in all its elements perfectly 
synchronous. If the mental is advancing too rapidly it is 
held back for the physical, and vice versa. Notice our 
children. Are they not pictures of health? To-morrow 
we shall give you an idea of what their mental training has 
been.” 

At the nursery I was fortunate enough to meet the 
physician in charge. It was Sunday afternoon and the little 
“students” were away, but the doctor happened in and 
kindly enlightened me regarding many points which puzzled 


me. 


— 44 — 


“ How does it happen that you take the babies from their 
mothers at such an early age?” I started this as a leader 
for another question that bothered me. 

“We think that we cannot begin their education too 
early,” was the reply. 

“ But about their food. Do you take them entirely from 
their natural source of supply ?” 

“Yes : we never can tell what taint there may be in a 
mother’s blood, and we know the food we give it is pure 
and just exactly right. See, I have the record of what 
every baby has eaten from the time it came to the nursery. 
Then, too, there is always the possibility of the baby receiv¬ 
ing bad influences through its mother, even though she be in 
perfect health. By our method we avoid all such 
possibility.” 

“ Is there not the possibility of the young baby forgetting 
its mother if taken away at such an early age and permitted 
to go back but once a week ? ” 

This question I asked of a mother, whose beautiful baby 
was seated contentedly on my lap admiring a yellow ribbon 
with which the lapel of my coat was adorned. 

“ Oh, we do not wait a week when they are very young. 
Then we see them every day until they get older and we 
gradually lengthen the time until we see them but once a 
week.” 

“I do not see how you can stand it to be separated from 
this little one a whole week at a time.” The little one was 
about 16 months old, just beginning to stumble over its first 


- 45 - 


words, and tottering about in the most self-reliant way. Just 
the age when mothers feel that the whole world is as nothing 
beside their babies. 

“ It is hard, sometimes, but we know it is the best for the 
child and are willing to set aside our selfish feelings for their 
good.” 

One could write a big book on those babies and still leave 
a part untold, and there is so much at the home of the 
Universal Brotherhood to write about. I might have 
changed my caption to this article, but on the whole it is just 
as well that I leave the babies and get to those of larger 
growth. One point, however, impressed me. Raja Yoga 
babies do not cry unless they are hurt. There is no necessity 
for a baby to cry if it be well and properly cared for, and these 
babies were undoubtedly well and received good care. And 
such a happy, rollicking lot of youngsters they were, too. 

Did you ever hear of babies going to school ? I mean 
babies so small they can scarcely walk, and so young they 
cannot talk. At Point Loma they are taken to school when 
they are eighteen months old, and their lesson consists in 
watching the older children. At the age of three years they 
enter the Lotus Bud class, and half an hour each day is spent 
at lessons. Here is another part of the system. There are 
no long class hours or tiresome hours of study. The most 
advanced class has but three hours of school a day. There 
is constant diversion of the mind and nothing is permitted to 
become irksome or monotonous. 


— 4 6 — 


The Home Life 

“ How about your home life ? * * I asked my companion. 

“It is just the same here as anywhere else, except that we 
have all our food prepared in one kitchen and all eat at the 
same place. Of course if we desire it, we can have the 
meals taken to our homes, but no cooking is done there. *’ 

“It must be a fine place to spend the evening of one’s 
life.” This thought had impressed itself deeply upon me 
because everyone seemed so contented and care free. 

“Several people have come here with that idea, but they 
were mistaken. Everyone works here. Not only that, 
they give their services free. No salaries or wages are paid. 
If a man or woman comes here they must understand that 
they have a part to perform, and their worldly wealth makes 
not the slightest difference.” 

“ I have heard that many wealthy people are here. Do 
you mean to say that the man who is watching the gate is 
just as apt to be rich as poor? ” 

A hasty glance toward the gate, then my guide smiled. 
“ He is the richest man here,” was his astonishing statement. 

“ What do you mean by rich?” I asked this because I 
had heard of certain men high in the counsels of the Nation, 
and of others whose worldly goods were reckoned among the 
millions, as having given up the world and its pomps and 
vanities for the life at Point Loma. 

“We have men here who are multi-millionaires. Take 

Mr. -, for instance. He was one of the wealthiest men 

of Pittsburg. He has his little daughter in school here, and 



— 47 — 


you could never tell by either his actions or those of his 
daughter that he was any better off than the poorest of us. 
He does his work. We do not consider any work that ought 
to be done as being menial.’* 

Next day I had the good fortune to be placed in charge 
of the gentleman from Pittsburg. 

“ I came here a year ago to spend a week and am here 
yet.” He vouchsafed this much regarding himself; but 
when his daughter became the subject of the conversation he 
.had a topic of which he could not tire. 

“I gave that child the best of everything, and she had 
governesses and nurses of all nationalities—and the result was 
that when she was eight years old she was the most selfish 
little thing on earth. She has been here a year now and has 
learned more than she did in her whole life before, and, best 
of all, she has become entirely unselfish.” 

Enthusiasm Undoubted 

His enthusiasm was undoubted. He felt that he had 
found the best for his child, and all else in the world was as 
nothing. Then he a told me the story of the child’s pony. 
Exile—a story which I had heard of how the little girl gave 
up to her “ group” for its use, her most cherished treasure, 
her pony and cart. Now the former little mistress of Exile 
uses him only in her regular turn. And the children in the 
group are made to feel that they are no different through 
wealth. These “ groups” need an explanation. A certain 
number of children are placed in a group, with a teacher. 


- 4 8 . 


who takes complete charge of them. They live together, 
sleeping and making their home in one house, seeing their 
parents but once a week. Each group holds all things in 
common, but still communism is not a part of the idea which 
dominates this establishment. Class distinctions are as dis- 
dinctly drawn here as elsewhere in the world, but the 
children are taught unselfishness. 

It is estimated that the tuition paid for three pupils is 
sufficient to educate the fourth, and this fourth is brought in 
from the outside world, some waif Or foundling or child of 
indigent parents, and no one ever knows which is the found¬ 
ling and which the waif from the appearance of the children 
in the groups. Those who have no parents to go to on 
Sunday afternoons are taken out by the teacher and they are 
made to feel that they have all the love in the world. 

Love, by the way, seems to shine out in all things at 
Point Loma. It is an atmosphere of loving kindness and 
gentleness. In the classroom there was such a wondrous 
bond of sweet sympathy between teacher and pupil as to 
impress itself upon the most casual observer. This brings 
out another point. There is no punishment at this school. 
That is no punishment in the sense that most of us old boys 
remember it when we went to school. Precept and example 
seem to move the small world in a most admirable manner. 

What is the result of this peculiar system ? That is a 
question which has undoubtedly been uppermost in your mind 
for some time, just as it was in mine. The ultimate result 
must await an answer for many years. It will require 


- 49 - 


generations of this sort of work to impress the result on the world. 
The immediate result seems to be a lot of abnormally advanced 
pupils. Yet they are not abnormal either in their play or in 
their appearance. But in their schoolroom exercises they 
astound and put to shame old and bearded men—men who 
rank high in different walks of life in California. 

“ How are you on arithmetic?” This question was put 
to me in the classroom by the Pittsburg millionaire. I 
confessed to the fact that I was little short of a marvel. In 
fact mathematics was my special strong point. 

“Wait a minute and you will get a chance to exercise 
it,” he said with an enigmatical smile. 

I got the chance and at once confessed that I knew nothing 
at all about arithmetic. Little tots so small that one felt like 
carrying them on his shoulder, went through mental arithmetic 
problems so swiftly and so accurately as to be little short of 
miraculous. 

“ I don’t like it,” whispered one of the young ladies of 
the party that had journeyed down to San Diego to partici¬ 
pate in the California Promotion Committee meeting and had 
been invited with the rest to see what the Point Loma school 
was like. “ They all seem like old men and women.” 

Her complaint was not well founded for there was nothing 
old in the manner of any child there. There was certainly 
a knowledge far beyond the years of any of these pupils, even 
up to those who boasted of eighteen years of age, but there 
was an eager childishness about them that betokened anything 
but a forced mentality. 


— 50 — 


“Tell what your class does,” said the preceptress to one 
little girl, calling her lovingly by name. The girl was 
scarcely more than seven years old, and she was not half 
through with her recapitulation until I remarked to my com¬ 
panion : “I pass.” 

“ That’s the way I feel every time I hear these youngsters 
recite,” was his comforting reply. 

Some 200 grown people make their homes there and 300 
pupils are in the school. It is a world apart. A community 
not held by religious bonds, for here every religion is tolerated 
and none taught, unless it be the religion of love and un¬ 
selfishness. It is so much out of the ordinary of this world 
of struggling humanity, searching for the wealth which they 
cannot use, that one marvels at it. Here there is no lure of 
gold nor thought of aught else than the benefiting of 
humanity through a mental and moral uplift. 

I read a book, once, called the “ Demi-God,” where is 
told how careful selection for generations brought about a 
man God-like in his attributes. After spending two half¬ 
days at Point Loma, the thought is insistent that here lies such 
a possibility, could this educational idea be carried out to its 
ultimate conclusion. 

But again arises the question, how many parents are there 
in this world who would care to part wdth the happiness of 
their association with their children, even for the ultimate 
uplifting of the whole race. The Theosophists call this 
selfishness, and it is this feeling that they are striving to 
eradicate in their work at Point Loma. 


There is no Religion Higher than Truth 


Cljc 

33ntbet$sal 'Brotherhood 
ana 

€heojsoph* *cal ^bocfet? 

Established for the benefit of the people of the earth & all creatures 


OBJECTS 

This BROTHERHOOD is part of a great and 
universal movement which has been active in all ages. 

This Organization declares that Brotherhood is a fact. 
Its principal purpose is to teach Brotherhood, demon¬ 
strate that it is a fact in nature and make it a living 
power in the life of humanity. 

Its subsidiary purpose is to study ancient and mod¬ 
ern religions, science, philosophy and art; to investi¬ 
gate the laws of nature and the divine powers in man. 

* * 

The Universal Brotherhood and Theosophical 
Society, founded by H. P. Blavatsky at New York, 
1875, continued after her death under the leader¬ 
ship of the co-founder, William Q. Judge, and now 
under the leadership of their successor, Katherine 
Tingley, has its Headquarters at the International 
Theosophical Center, Point Loma, California. 

This Organization is not in any way connected 
with nor does it endorse any other societies using the 
name of Theosophy. 






The Universal Brotherhood and Theosophical 
Society welcomes to membership all who truly love 
their fellow men and desire the eradication of the evils 
caused by the barriers of race, creed, caste or color, 
which have so long impeded human progress; to all 
sincere lovers of truth and to all who aspire to higher 
and better things than the mere pleasures and inter¬ 
ests of a worldly life, and are prepared to do all in 
their power to make Brotherhood a living energy in the 
life of humanity, its various departments offer unlimited 
opportunities. 

The whole work of the Organization is under the 
direction of the Leader and Official Head, Katherine 
Tingley, as outlined in the Constitution. 

Do Not Fail to Profit by the Following: 

It is a regrettable fact that many people use the name 
of Theosophy and of our Organization for self-interest,, 
as also that of H. P. Blavatsky, the Foundress, 
to attract attention to themselves and to gain public 
support. This they do in private and public speech 
and in publications, also by lecturing throughout the 
country. Without being in any way connected with 
the Universal Brotherhood and Theosophical So¬ 
ciety, in many cases they permit it to be inferred 
that they are, thus misleading the public, and many 
honest inquirers are hence led away from the truths 
of Theosophy as presented by H. P. Blavatsky and 
her successors, William Q. Judge and Katherine- 
Tingley, and practically exemplified in their Theosoph¬ 
ical work for the uplifting of humanity. 



The International Brotherhood League 

Founded in 1897 by Katherine Tingley 
ITS OBJECTS ARE : 

1. To help men and women to realize the nobility 
of their calling and their true position in life. 

2. To educate children of all nations on the 
broadest lines of Universal Brotherhood, and to pre¬ 
pare destitute and homeless children to become work¬ 
ers for humanity. 

3. To ameliorate the condition of unfortunate 
women, and assist them to a higher life. 

4. To assist those who are, or have been, in 
prisons, to establish themselves in honorable positions 
in life. 

5. To abolish capital punishment. 

6. To bring about a better understanding between 
so-called savage and civilized races, by promoting a 
closer and more sympathetic relationship between them. 

7. To relieve human suffering resulting from flood, 
famine, war, and other calamities; and, generally, to 
extend aid, help and comfort to suffering humanity 
throughout the world. 

For further information regarding the above Notices, 
address 

KATHERINE TINGLEY 

International Theosophical Headquarters, 

Point Loma, California 


Boohs Recommended to Inquirers 

For complete Book List write to 
The Theosophical Publishing Co., Point Loma, California 

Bbagavad Gita (W. Q. Judge, Amer. Edition). 

Pocket size, morocco, gilt edges . 1.00 

Red leather .75 

The pearl of the Scriptures of the East. 

Concentration, Culture of (W. Q. Judge) ... .15 

Cchocs from the Orient (W. Q. Judge); cloth .50 
Paper .25 

21 valued articles, giving a broad outline of the 
Theosophical doctrines, written for the newspaper¬ 
reading public. 

epitome of Cbeosopbical teachings, Hn 

(W. Q. Judge), 40 pages.15 

Yoga Hpborisms (translated by W. Q. Judge). 

Pocket size, leather.75 

Xsis tlnveiled (H. P. Blavatsky). 2 vols., roy¬ 
al 8vo, about 1400 pages; cloth; with portrait 
of the author. New Point Loma Edition, 

with a preface. Postpaid. 7.00 

Key to Cbeosopby, Che (H. P. Blavatsky). 

New Point Loma Edition, with Glossary and 
exhaustive Index. Portraits of H. P. Blavat¬ 
sky and W. Q. Judge. 8vo, cloth, 400 pages. 
Postpaid .2.25 

A clear exposition of Theosophy in form of question 
and answer. The book for Students. 

JNigbtmare Cales (H. P. Blavatsky). Illus¬ 
trated by R. Machell, R.A. A collection of 
the weirdest tales ever written down by any 

mortal. Cloth .60 

Paper .35 

Rife at point Roma, Che: Some notes by 
Katherine Tingley, Leader and Official Head 
of the Universal Brotherhood and Theo¬ 
sophical Society .15 

Reprinted from the Los Angeles Post , Dec., 1902. 

hypnotism: Cheosophical views on (40 pages) .15 

Right on the path (M. C), with comments, 

and a chapter on Karma; black leather.75 

Embossed paper.25 














hysterics of the Fjeart Doctrine, Che. Pre¬ 
pared by Katherine Tingley and her pupils. 

Square 8vo, cloth. 2.00 

Paper . 1.25 

A Series oe Eight Pamphlets, comprising 
different Articles in above, paper, each.25 


Secret Doctrine, Che (H. P. Blavatsky). The 
Synthesis of Science, Religion, and Philo¬ 
sophy. New Point Loma Edition. 2 vols., roy¬ 
al 8vo, about 1500 pages; cloth. Postpaid-10.00 

To be reprinted from the original edition of 1888 , 
as published by H. P. Blavatsky. 

Cbeosopbical JVIanuals 

Elementary Handbooks for Students. 

Cloth. Price, each.35 

No. 1. Elementary Theosophy. 

No. 2. The Seven Principles of Man. 

No. 3. Karma. 

No. 4. Reincarnation. 

No. 5. Man after Death. 

No. 6. Kamaloka and Devachan. 

No. 7. Teachers and Their Disciples. 

No. 8. The Doctrine of Cycles. 

No. 9. Psychism, Ghostology, and the 
Astral Plane. 

No. 10. The Astral Light. 

No. 11. Psychometry, Clairvoyance, and 
Thought Transference. 

No. 12. The Angel and the Demon. (2 vols.) 
No. 13. The Flame and the Clay. 

No. 14. On God and Prayer. 

No. 15. Theosophy: The Mother of Religions. 


Occultism, Studies in 

(H. P. Blavatsky). Pocket size, 6 vols., 


VoL 1 . Practical Occultism. Occultism vs. the 

Occult Arts. The Blessing of Publicity.35 

VoL 2. Hypnotism. Black Magic in Science. 

Signs of the Times.35 

VoL 3. Psychic and Noetic Action.35 










VoL 4* Kosmic Mind. Dual Aspect of Wis¬ 
dom.35 

VoL 5 . Esoteric Character of the Gospels.35 

VoL 6. Astral Bodies; Constitution of the 
Inner Man.35 


Katherine Cingley, Humanity's friend; 

H Visit to Katherine Cingley -(by John 
Hubert Greusel) ; 

H Study of Raja at point Loma (Re¬ 
print from the San Francisco Chronicle, Jan¬ 
uary 6 th, 1907) ; comprised in a pamphlet of 
50 pages, published by the Woman’s Theo- 
sophical Propaganda League, Point Loma.. .15 

Che path Series 

Specially adapted for inquirers in Theosophy. 

ALREADY PUBLISHED 

No. 1 . Che purpose of the Universal Broth¬ 


erhood and Cheosophical Society.05 

No. 2 . Cheosophy Generally Stated 

(W. Q. Judge).05 

No. 3. JVIislaid JVIysteries (H. Coryn, m. d.) .05 

No. 4 . Cheosophy and Xts Counterfeits.05 

Thirty copies $1.00; 100 copies $3.00 


Lotus Group Literature 

LOTUS LIBRARY FOR CHILDREN 
Introduced under the direction of Katherine Tingley 


1 . Che Little Builders, and their Voyage to 

Rangi. (R. N.).50 

2 . Che Coming of the King (Machell); cloth, 

gilt edges. 35 

Lotus Song Booh. Fifty original songs with 

copyrighted music.50 

Lotus Song — “The Sun Temple ”—with music. .15 










T heosophical P eriodicals 

CENTURY PATH 

ILLUSTRATED WEEKLY 
Edited by KATHERINE TINGLEY 

A Magazine devoted to the Brotherhood of Humanity, 
the Promulgation of Theosophy and the Study of Ancient 
and Modern Ethics, Philosophy, Science and Art. 
Year $4.00 Single Copy 10 Cents 

Write for a sample copy to 

NEW CENTURY CORPORATION, 

Point Loma, California, U. S. A. 


Raja JVIes&enger. Illustrated. Monthly. 
Yearly subscription .50 

Unsectarian publication for Young Folk, conducted by 
a staff of pupils of the Raja Yoga School at Lomaland. 
Address Master Albert G. Spalding, Business Manager 
Raja Yoga Messenger, Point Loma, California. 


International Cbeosopbical Chronicle. Illus¬ 
trated. Monthly. Yearly subscription, postpaid 1.00 
The Theosophical Book Co., 18 Bartlett’s Buildings, 
Holborn Circus, London, E. C. 


Cbeosopbia. Illustrated. Monthly. Yearly sub¬ 
scription, postpaid . 1.50 

Universella Broderskapets Forlag, Barnhusgatan 10, 
Stockholm 1, Sweden. 


Universale Bruderschaft. Illustrated. Monthly. 

Yearly subscription, postpaid. 1.50 

J. Th. Heller, ob. Turnstrasse 3, Niirnberg, Germany. 


kotus-Knoppen. Illustrated. Monthly. Yearly 
subscription, postpaid.75 

A. Goud, Peperstraat, ingang Papengang, No. 14, 
Groningen, Holland. 

Subscriptions to the above four Magazines may be secured 
also through the Theosophical Publishing Company, Point 
Loma, California. 


Neither the editors of the above publications, nor the officers of the 
Universal Brotherhood and Theosophical Society, or of 
any of its departments, receive salaries or other remuneration. 

All profits arising from the business of The Theosophical Publishing 
Co. are devoted to Humanitarian Work. All who assist in this 
work are directly helping the great cause of Humanity. 











For any further information regarding Theosophy 
or the Theosophical Organization address 

KATHERINE TINGLEY 

International Headquarters of 

THE UNIVERSAL BROTHERHOOD 
AND 

THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY 


Point Loma, California, U. S. A. 








